Updated
NRMP Match 2027: How the Main Residency Match Works
The NRMP Main Residency Match places applicants into US residency positions. After interviews, you and the programs each certify a ranked list, and a computer algorithm makes the matches. For the 2027 Match, per the NRMP's calendar, rank lists are due March 3, 2027 at 9 p.m. ET and Match Day is March 19, 2027.
Below are the 2027 dates, how registration and fees work, the agreement you sign, the algorithm in plain words and our checklist. Each NRMP rule links to the NRMP page it comes from, checked November 3, 2026. We describe the NRMP's rules and dates only and leave its outcome data on its own Match data pages.
The 2027 Main Residency Match timeline
The AAMC rows are ERAS. The NRMP rows are the Match, a separate registration. Times are Eastern.
| Date | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| September 2, 2026, 9 a.m. ET | What happens: ERAS opens to submissions. The application goes through ERAS, not the NRMP. | Source: AAMC |
| September 15, 2026, 12 p.m. ET | What happens: NRMP registration opens in the R3 system. | Source: NRMP |
| September 23, 2026, 9 a.m. ET | What happens: Programs can start reading ERAS applications. Interviews follow through the winter. | Source: AAMC |
| January 29, 2027, 11:59 p.m. ET | What happens: Standard registration deadline. After it, registration costs $50 more. | Source: NRMP |
| February 1, 2027, 12 p.m. ET | What happens: Ranking opens. Enter and certify your rank order list. | Source: NRMP |
| March 3, 2027, 9 p.m. ET | What happens: Rank order list certification deadline, also the last day to register late. | Source: NRMP |
| March 15, 2027, 10 a.m. ET | What happens: Match Week starts. You learn whether you matched, and SOAP begins. | Source: NRMP |
| March 19, 2027, 12 p.m. ET | What happens: Match Day. You learn where you matched. | Source: NRMP |
What is the NRMP Match, and what isn't it?
The Match is run by the National Resident Matching Program. It gives every applicant and program the same rules and deadlines, so nobody is pushed into an early offer. Under its All In Policy, a program that joins the Main Residency Match has to try to fill all its positions through the Match or another national matching plan, and can't make offers outside it.
It is not an application service. You apply through ERAS, or through ResidencyCAS for emergency medicine and OB/GYN, and you register with the NRMP separately. The NRMP only uses the ranked lists that come after your interviews.
How do you register for the Match, and what does it cost?
You register in the NRMP's R3 system, which opened September 15 for the 2027 Match. Add your AAMC ID or ResidencyCAS ID to your profile so the two records connect. US MD and DO seniors register as students of their school, which confirms they will graduate in time. Graduates register on their own. International medical graduates must have their exam requirements for ECFMG certification verified by the rank order list deadline, and ECFMG handles that verification for them.
Per the NRMP's fee page, registration is $85 and covers up to 20 programs on your rank list. Each program over 20 costs $30 more, registering after January 29 adds $50, and each partner in a couple pays $45 more. Fees aren't refundable. Our math with those fees:
| Programs on your list | NRMP fees |
|---|---|
| 10 programs | NRMP fees: $85 |
| 20 programs | NRMP fees: $85 |
| 25 programs | NRMP fees: $235 |
| 30 programs | NRMP fees: $385 |
| 40 programs | NRMP fees: $685 |
ERAS charges separately, per program you apply to. Our ERAS fees page adds the two together.
What do you agree to when you register?
Every participant signs the Match Participation Agreement during registration. In plain words:
- A match is a binding commitment. You start at the program you match to unless the NRMP grants a waiver.
- Programs may not ask how you will rank them, and you may not be pressured to promise. Our rank list guide covers what each side may say.
- Your application information has to be complete, timely and accurate.
- The rules carry into Match Week, including SOAP, where you can't contact a program until it contacts you.
How does the Match algorithm work?
The algorithm starts from the applicants' side. It tries to place you at your first choice. If that program ranked you and has an open spot, or prefers you to someone it is already holding, you are placed there tentatively. If not, it moves to your next choice. A tentative placement can be undone when the program later finds an applicant it ranked higher, and then the algorithm keeps going down your list. When every list has been worked through, the tentative placements become the final matches.
Two things follow. Rank programs in your true order of preference, because a program lower on your list can never cost you one higher up. And rank every program you would really attend. The theory behind this kind of matching earned Alvin Roth and Lloyd Shapley the 2012 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences. Our rank order list guide walks one applicant through it step by step.
Couples, program types and the other matches
The Couples Match
Two applicants can register as a couple and rank pairs of programs, one for each partner. The algorithm treats each pair as a single choice. Each partner pays $45 more. Our couples match guide covers how couples interview.
Program types: categorical, preliminary, advanced and reserved
A categorical program trains you through the whole residency. A preliminary program is one first year. An advanced program starts a year later, so if you rank advanced programs you also make a supplemental list of preliminary programs for that first year. Reserved positions are second-year spots for physicians who have already trained. Our rank list guide covers supplemental lists.
Specialties that don't use the NRMP Main Residency Match
Urology programs match through the American Urological Association (our urology guide), ophthalmology through SF Match (our SF Match guide), and military programs through their own match (our military match guide). Those matches finish before the NRMP's. Ophthalmology applicants still match their first clinical year through the NRMP.
What happens after you certify your rank list?
You can change and re-certify the list until March 3 at 9 p.m. ET. Then the algorithm runs. On March 15 at 10 a.m. ET you learn whether you matched, and on March 19 at noon ET you learn where. Our Match Day guide has the hour-by-hour week and the time in every US time zone, and our SOAP guide covers the week if you don't match.
Our month-by-month Match checklist
| When | Do this |
|---|---|
| September | Do this: Register in R3 once registration opens on September 15. Add your AAMC ID (or ResidencyCAS ID) so your applications and your Match record line up. |
| October to January | Do this: Interview, and write two lines about each program the same day while you still remember it. |
| Late January | Do this: If you haven't registered, do it before January 29 to skip the late fee. Couples register as a pair. |
| February | Do this: Ranking opens February 1. Build your list in true order of preference and certify it early. You can still change it until the deadline. |
| Early March | Do this: Check that the list says certified before March 3 at 9 p.m. ET. If you might go unmatched, plan your SOAP steps with your school now. |
| Match Week | Do this: Watch your email Monday morning, then follow our Match Day guide for the rest of the week. |
Before any of this, the interviews decide how programs rank you. One question comes up all season, and the Match rules shape how to answer it.
Practice question
“Where else are you interviewing?”
Interviewers ask it to gauge your interest, and you don't have to name other programs. A calm, honest reply that turns back to their program works better than a list of names or a dodge.
Example answer written by Confetto (the applicant is invented)
I'm interviewing at a mix of university and community programs, mostly in the Midwest, because I want to stay close to my family in Ohio. I'd rather not name them, but I can tell you what I'm comparing.
The thing I keep weighing is how early residents get real continuity clinic time. Your program puts interns in their own clinic from the first month, which is the strongest version of that I've seen so far, and I'd like to hear how your residents use it.
Sources: the NRMP's 2027 applicant calendar, Main Residency Match, policies, fees, algorithm and couples pages (linked, not quoted with figures), the AAMC's 2027 ERAS timeline and the Nobel Prize summary, checked November 3, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What is the NRMP Match?
The Main Residency Match, run by the National Resident Matching Program, places applicants into US residency positions. After interviews, applicants and programs each certify a ranked list, and a computer algorithm matches them. It doesn't handle applications, which go through ERAS or ResidencyCAS. See the NRMP's applicant pages.
When is the 2027 NRMP rank order list deadline?
March 3, 2027, at 9 p.m. ET. Ranking opens February 1, 2027, at 12 p.m. ET. The same deadline is the last chance to register late. See the NRMP's 2027 calendar.
How much does NRMP registration cost?
$85 for the Main Residency Match, which covers up to 20 programs on your list. Each program over 20 costs $30 more, registering after January 29, 2027 adds $50, and couples pay $45 more per partner. Fees are not refundable. See the NRMP's fee page.
How does the Match algorithm work?
It starts from each applicant's list and tries to place you at your first choice. If that program also ranked you and has room, or likes you better than someone it is holding, you are placed there for now. If not, it tries your next choice. When every list has been worked through, the tentative placements become final. See our worked example.
Is the Match binding?
Yes. Every applicant signs the Match Participation Agreement when registering, and a match is a binding commitment to start training at that program. The NRMP only releases you through its waiver process. Read the NRMP's policies.
Do all specialties use the NRMP Match?
No. Urology runs its own match through the American Urological Association, ophthalmology uses SF Match, and military programs have their own match. Most other specialties fill their first-year positions through the NRMP. Read our urology match guide.